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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Energy, energy, soulful energy. After a week of remaining “calm” on stage to save their energy, The Nigel Hall Band and Soulive with special guests Corey Glover and Robert Randolph let loose on Brooklyn Bowl giving us a dance party we won’t soon forget.

The Nigel Hall Band hit the stage first with drummer Nikkie Glaspie, guitarist Adam Smirnoff, bassist Eric Krasno, and organist Neal Evans with vocalists Mel Flannery and Tanya Jones backing Nigel’s soulful songs. They brought more energy than during the previous days, singing the slower songs like “Too Sweet” and “Leave Me Alone” with ferocity.

Soulive members (guitarist Eric Krasno, keyboardist Neal Evans and drummer Alan Evans) hit the stage to a full house. This performance had a full-on jazzy setlist that contained favorites such as “Shaheed”, “Alladin” and “Azucar.” The solos by the trio blasted throughout the evening and were met by monstrous applause every five minutes. The highlight of the set was when Cheme Gastelum (Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings) stood front and center to deliver a long, stunning saxophone solo during “Upright.” Another enjoyable, high-energy moment was when Nigel Hall took his place next to Neal Evans to deliver a feisty keyboard solo as the two took their turns dancing around each other while they played. The dance party continued as Corey Glover (Living Colour) grabbed the microphone and owned it for the beginning of the set. What a set it was! Eric Krasno, paying homage to his favorite guitar player Jimi Hendrix, was an out-of-control treat. It was particularly fun to see the smile on his face; his dancing feet were in full-effect when they performed “Manic Depression,” a chaotic throwdown for “Cross Town Traffic,” and ended the set with Sly Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song.”

When Robert Randolph joined the stage, the energy in the room went through the roof. His sister, vocalist Lenesha Randolph, raised the bar even higher as her presence on stage matched her grand voice. She took time between raging the congos and jumping to the front of the stage to pump up the audience. Even Alan Evans stopped the music to show off his vocal range.

The energy that radiates during a weekend Bowlive performance just can’t be matched earlier in the week. With everyone letting loose on and off the stage, any stress one might have had walking into the Brooklyn Bowl completely melts off into the dance floor by the end of the night. Luckily, we had one more night to do it all over again.